I hope that I don't fall in love with you
by Feuerkindjana
Summary: a bar, House, a Tom Waits song, Huddy ? oneshot, no spoilers


Title: I hope that I don't fall in love with you

Author: Feuerkindjana

Rating: T (language)

Disclaimer: Lucky me – I own House AND half-god Tom Waits! Wait! Damn it… was just a dream….don't sue for dreaming!

Note: I don't get it. Somehow I happened to write this. Must have been an evil spirit 'cause this is my first (and probably last) fic ever. Strange enough but it is in English which is NOT my mother tongue. I'm kind of obsessed with this song. It follows me but maybe I'm just paranoid.

Summary: a bar, House, a Tom Waits song, Huddy oneshot, song-fic

**I**** Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You**

(Tom Waits, _Closing Time_ studio version, 1973)

Once again he sat alone in a bar. The place was called "Kismet" but somehow he still liked it. It was anonymous, cozy, crowded and played good music. They had the strange idea to pick only one artist per evening.

For House it was one of those days where his home was too quiet, even with TV and Radio talking at the same time. He felt nervous. Trapped. Lonely. Usually being alone in his home cave was no problem. In fact he preferred it to any other place but some days were different. Those were the times when he needed people around him just to know that there were other human beings on this planet. Not that he wanted to talk to them – hell no! – but there's nothing wrong with watching them. Analyzing them. It made him feel like he was almost one of them.

Today was a bad day. His leg hurt more than usual what nearly kept him from going to the hospital in the morning. Only the fact that his patient was about to die made him move there. House, being way too distracted by his pain to concentrate lost his patient eventually.

House frowned. He ordered a beer and listened to the soft music. Tom Waits. He wondered why they always played good old Tom when he was there. Strange. When he looked around, waiting for his beer, House scanned the room for people that would be worth watching a while. Suddenly he spotted something that he hadn't expected. An anomaly.

While his mind formed the words '_What the hell is_ she_ doing here?_' Tom Waits started his next song.

_Well, I hope that I don't fall in love with you  
Cause falling in love just makes me blue  
Well, the music plays and you display your heart for me to see  
I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me  
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you_

Although she obviously made an effort to look sexy and tried to be cheerful, Cuddy looked bad. Well, not ugly-bad rather unhappy-bad. She was with a guy, so this was probably a date. House wondered if he should join them. Could be fun. Could be bad as well.

Since his day was fucked-up enough he decided that he didn't want to mess with Cuddy too. So much to anonymity. Just as he started to turn around to the bar Cuddy looked away from her date and stared in his eyes with disbelieve and – was that anger?- written all over her face. As she formed a mute 'House' with her lips, her expression changed. Somehow she was not angry – just surprised.

_Well, the room is crowded, people everywhere  
And I wonder, should I offer you a chair?  
Well, if you sit down with this old clown, take that frown and break it  
Before the evening's gone away, I think that we can make it  
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you_

House averted his gaze and began to empty his bottle. The last thing he needed was Cuddy watching him being miserable and about to get drunk. Why was she here anyway? This was his hiding place not hers. He had avoided her the whole day and left the clinic shortly after his patient's demise. Cuddy tried to call him for the rest of it and was ignored.

House listened to the song and snorted. '_Yeah, maybe I should offer her my barstool so she could make her rant now. Thus I wouldn't have to wait till tomorrow to be yelled at.'_ As he caught another glimpse of her he suddenly doubted that she was in the mood for yelling.

_Well, the night does funny things inside a man  
These old Tom-ca__t__)__ feelings you don't understand  
Well, I turn around to look at you, you light a cigarette  
I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met  
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you_

While watching her House had to admit that she didn't look so bad. In fact she looked beautiful tonight. Her dark top was low cut – what else? – but covered enough to make her cleavage sexy but not cheap. The skirt she wore was in a dark red matching her lips and necklace. Once again House was tempted to walk over to her, steal her drink and annoy her a bit.

_I can see that you are lonesome just like me  
And it being late, you'd like some company  
Well, I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me  
The guy you're with he's up and split, the chair next to you's free  
And I hope that you don't fall in love with me_

House noticed that he stared at her when she turned her head towards him and locked her blue eyes into his. Being unable to move he just continued staring and finally saw why she was here. She was lonely. The date was only her excuse to leave her house. Maybe he chose the place to go to. It didn't matter. House knew it when Cuddy did not instantly react to something the guy said. Annoyed the man turned his face in House's direction. He looked at him with a pissed-off expression on his face and left. Cuddy watched him leave but did not move herself. She waited for House to decide.

He felt uncomfortable. Somehow Tom Waits knew what was going on here. Strange enough since this song was over thirty years old. Nights definitely do '_funny things inside a man'_. Any other day he would just walk straight to her, ruin her date (at least that he managed somehow) and annoy her with nasty remarks on her outfit, cleavage or ass. Today he in some way feared to get to close to her. Something was different. Something that he – for once in his life – didn't want to find out.

After he finished his beer and ordered another, he couldn't stop himself from shifting again on his barstool. He finally decided to go to her but when he gazed in the direction of her table she was gone. A waitress cleaned the place, took the empty glasses and wiped the table.

_Now it's closing time, the music's fading out  
Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout  
Well, I turn around to look at you, you're nowhere to be found  
I search the place for your lost face, guess I'll have another round  
And I think that I just fell in love with you_

"Aw, shut up, Tom!" House muttered as he paid his drinks and started to limp outside. She screwed it. Now sitting alone in bar was pathetic. He needed a new late night hiding place to fight the lonely hours.

…or someone who was just as lonely as he was…

The song still echoed in his head when House waited for a cab to stop by.

"Damn!" was all he said when the driver asked for the directions. Shortly after the cab headed for Cuddy's house.

The End!?


End file.
